![]() Indian troops decided to stretch a barbed wire along the ridges of Nathu La in order to indicate the boundary. Yet, in one instance, the Chinese filled the trenches again and left after adding 8 more loudspeakers to the existing 21. Indian troops observed that some of the trenches were "clearly" to the Sikkemese side of the border, and pointed it out to the local Chinese commander Zhang Guohua, who was asked to withdraw from there. Starting from 13 August 1967, Chinese troops started digging trenches in Nathu La on the Sikkimese side. However, GOC 17 mountain division's Major General, Sagat Singh, refused to do so, arguing that Nathu La was on the watershed which comprised the natural boundary. On 16 September 1965, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, China issued an ultimatum to India to vacate the Nathu La pass. From 1963, small-scale clashes in the region were frequently reported in the press. Two major parts of the pass, south and north of Nathu La, namely Sebu La and Camel’s back, were held by the Indians. Chinese held the northern shoulder of the pass, while the Indian Army held the southern shoulder. The border here is said to have remained "un-demarcated". Particularly at the Nathu La pass in the valley, alongside the Sikkim- Tibet border, the deployed Chinese and Indian forces are stationed about 20–30 meters apart, which is the closest of anywhere on the 4000 km Sino-Indian border. Most of these divisions were not based near the border, save for the Chumbi Valley, where both Indian and Chinese troops are stationed on both sides at close range. As a part of this military expansion, seven mountain divisions were raised to defend India's northern borders against any Chinese attack. Influenced by its previous defeat, the Indian Army raised a number of new units, nearly doubling their deployed forces along the disputed region. Observers have commented that these clashes indicated the decline of 'claim strength' in China's decision to initiate the use of force against India, and stated that India was greatly pleased with the combat performance of its forces in the Nathu La clashes, seeing it as a sign of striking improvement since its defeat in the 1962 Sino-Indian War.Ĭho La and Nathu La passes marked on a Survey of India map of 1923įollowing the 1962 Sino-Indian War, tensions continued to run high along the Himalayan border shared by India and China. The competition to control the disputed borderland in Chumbi Valley is seen as a major cause for heightening the tensions in these incidents. ![]() Many PLA fortifications at Nathu La were destroyed, where the Indian troops drove back the attacking Chinese forces. ![]() In October 1967, another military duel took place at Cho La and ended on the same day.Īccording to independent sources, India achieved "decisive tactical advantage" and managed to hold its own against and push back Chinese forces. The Nathu La clashes started on 11 September 1967, when China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) launched an attack on Indian posts at Nathu La and lasted till 15 September 1967. The Nathu La and Cho La clashes, sometimes referred to as the Sino-Indian War of 1967, consisted of a series of border clashes between India and China alongside the border of the Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim, then an Indian protectorate. (Deputy commander of the Tibet Military District)ģ2 killed (Nathu La), unknown (Cho La) Chinese initiative retreat from Nathu La and Cho La.Nathu La and Cho La, on the border between China and the Kingdom of Sikkim ![]()
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